The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1887-04-16
Che 9Ajly '8alletin,
SATURDAY. APRIL 16. 1887.
CLAnST0NE'S SPEECH ON THE COER-
CION BILL.

amendment. TIC SNlV lutI Ill uH
issue so grave proposals as those
now put forth by the Government
required ample time for considc,a-
ton. He found himself bound to
support Parnell's amendment, be-
cause the ground on which Balfour
based the Governments case was
absolutely insufficient and unsatis-
| factory. The Governments bill,
instead of being cure for Irish ills,
or even palliative, was measure
that would aggravatc dcep-seated
disorders. "With this coercion
BILL" exclaimed Gladstone, "the
prospect of Cancellation vanishes
into the air. The Government i'm
tended to exclude the Land bill,
which was the main recommends
ton of the commission, which just
completed an exhaustive lnvestiga-
ton of the Irish trouble. Nothing
remains but the figure of coercion,
bald and gaunt, alas too familiar.
The Right Honorable Chief Secre-
tary for Ireland has attempted to
excuse the proposals on the ground
that crime in Ireland during the last
tire years has increased, but he
followed the usual course in refrain
ing from giving the House official
information proving his allegations.
Take the instance given of threaten
ing letters. In 1855, 1872 such let
tiers were received, and in 1886, but
rs more were received. That hardly
furnished a ground for asking Par
Lament to assent TO an extreme
measure of coercion. The other
classes of crime amounted in 1885
to SIP, and in 1856 to 517. This
increase is described as the main
reason for the extreme demands of
the Government. If Balfour has
further private information let him
speak. 1t was the first time he
(Gladstone) knew of anonymous
assertions being imposed on Parlia-
ment in support of demand for
legislation. Then he referred in
detail to the cases adduced by Bal
four, of league tyranny over per-
sons. Continuing, he said that
persecution was bad enough, but
was not confined to the Nationalists.
He knew of Protestant clergyman
who had been deprived of his living
because he was a home-ruler. Con-
tinual allusion had been made to the
previous Liberal coercion proposals.
In 1881, when his Government pro-
posed coercion, the ground was on
the agitation then existing. Wher-
ever he went he was dogged by
crime. For the present bill there
was no such excuse. The demand
made upon the House of Commons
was the most formidable breach OF
trust that popular assembly could
hope to consider, to relax the con-
ditims upon which alone Parliament
= could sanction change in the
criminal procedure in order that the
: law might fall with increased strin-
gency upon a particular portion OF
the people. Every Irish and Eng
lish member should have the fullest
information for presenting his views
and for scrutinizing the proposals
of the Government. Among il:
most insulting and exasperating pro-
posals-the worst ever submitted tC
Parliament-was the provision thai
Irish trials should be held in Lon
don. He never knew of such blow
at the national feeling of Ireland
The Government could devise no
thing more likely to aggravatt
every existing trouble rs to the per-
manent duration of this bill. The
proposals made ones blood boil
To establish what was formerly
only temporary remedy as a per
manent rule of the existence o
society in Ireland would put tn,
brand of inferiorlty upon Irelant
forever, recognizing as fixed prin
ciple that force was n remedy
The lessons of many Irish troubles
showed that force was no remedy
Since the election of 1885 the bull
of the Liberals had judged it boil
right and safe to grant them hOm'
rule, and Ireland had been free from
crime and outrage, condition lon.
unknown. Why was this? Becaus
the Irish people knew what large
though insuiiiciently large, body o
Legislators represented their inter
ests and would abide by them to tn
last. Ii the Liberals acceded to tn
appeals of Government the resul
would be retrogression; the Iris
people would return to the state o
things which the Liberals effort ha'
already partly removed. So lon'
!" as Ireland continued in her presen
course of moderation, so long woul
the Liberals be bound to persever
in their endeavor to assist her. Th
time would soon come when to tn
J. many now supporting the cause @
Ireland would be added many more
when deplorablc proposals such q
these of the Government would II
more be associated with the name c
Ireland, and when it would be see
that in doing what they could no
to serve the Irish cause they wei
y serving the cause of the wide empil
of Great Britain. Prolonged chez
= ing.